Method of manufacturing superheater headers



May 26, 1931; M. HARD IETHOD OF IANUFACTURING SUPERHEATER HEADERS tweets-sheet 1 Filed July 12. 1928 Ma /ca/n4 fN E lsTok.

A TTORNE Y.

May 26, 1931.. M. HARD- METHOD 0F MANUFACTURING SUPERHEATER HEADERS Filed July 12. 1928 2 Sheet-Sheet 2 W /m, a a N INVENTOR.

BY I

ATTORNEY.

Patented May 26, 1931 UNITED STATES. F I; OFFICE.

, mcom HARD, or F USHI NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE SUPERHEATE cOM- PANY, orivEw YORK, 1 I. Y.

METHOD or -mivornc'ruame snrnnnnarnn HEADERS Application filed Ju1 12, 1928." Serial No. 292,283.

This invention relates to locomotive superheater headers and has for'itspurpo se the provision of an improved structure of'this kind.

As is well understood by those familiar with this art, the header forthe locomotive superheater is now universally located in the upper portion of the smoke-box and the tubular superheater elements or unitswhich are attached to its underside extend in to the flues or fire tubes, The ordinary practice hithertohas been to make these'headers of a high grade cast iron and this'has proved eminently satisfactory and failures of such headers are almost unheard of. It is true, however, that if steel, particularly plate steel, could be employed in the manufacture of the headers, considerable weight might be saved. Attempts to make these headers of cast steel have not proved very'satisfactory on account of the difliculty of keeping the castings free from blow holes. If it were not for this difficulty, cast steel hea'ders would be quite ideal. The art ofautogeno-us .w'eld ing has progressed far. enough to make it entirely feasible-and safe to weld upsteel plates into such headers. It is of coursedesirable to keep the form of the header closely similar to the form of the cast header hitherto used so that the tubular elements maybe freely interchangeable. If this precaution is not taken, railroads would: be obliged to carry on hand stocks of spare units or elements to suit both forms. When an attempt is made to produce a steel plate header following existing standards closely enough for the purpose just spoken of, it will be found that the matter is not free from difl'iculty. The present invention furnishes a header of plate steel of such configuration that the tubular units designed for use with the present form of cast T-bolt headers may be applied directly to it.

The invention is illustrated in the draw ings here-with, in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a header according tothe present invention, a portion of it being in section on the line 11 of Fig. 2 and two ends of superheater elements being shown connected to the header; Fig. 2 is a top view of the header, the left half being a section on line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view illustrating a portion of one 'Ofthfl sheets used; Fig. dis a section on line l -l of Flg. 1; and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view on line 55 of Fig. 1. V

In'building a header according to my in-. vention, I form first a number of members 11 which are to serve as partitions,'these members being most conveniently made out of lengths of rolled T steel. The outer ends of arms of the T are for this purpose turned in a direction away from the vertical stem, as will be clear from an inspection of Fig: 1. The resulting structure may be considered as an inverted Y. The upper edge of these T len 'ths is cut'to slope down in each direction from the middle along thelines 22 (see Fig. 4). g f

To the partitions ust described are welded the base or bottom plates 3-3 in the position clearly indicated in the drawings) Between adjacent plates 3-3 are left the slots 4+4 which are somewhatnarrower than the distance between the downwardly turned portions of the Ts. "Through these plates? have been drilled the holes 5'5 through which the: tubular elements 6 are to com municate with the interior of the header. The general arrangement ofthese holes 6.'6 is the standard one. i f

partition 7 is next formed'ofalength equal, to the length of the header. This partition has a vertical portion 7 and two seriesof members 7 a and 7 6 extending alternately in opposite directions from the lower end of the vertical portion. This plate is produced most convenientlyby 'takin'g'a plate of the requireddimensions andsawing slits in fromone of its long edges to the required distance and-then bending the resulting flaps in opposite directions. f The exactangle to which the flaps are bent with r'espect tothe vertical portion 7 is such that the completed member may beset onthe partitions 1, the edgeser each flap contacting with adjacent ends of the partitions 1 and the length'of the flapsbe'ing such that theirends coincide with theends of the partitions 1. The memher 7 is set into position just described and the edges mentioned are welded together.

After the partitions 11 have been welded to the bottom plates 3, the front 8 and the back 9 are welded into place. Each of these members has the form of a flat plate with portions 10 ..-10 cutout to receive theends of the partitions 1-1. The partitions 1 do not extend entirely through the openings 10 but; extench only. part, way into. them,. as;

shown in Fig. 5. This makes the welding-of".

the plates 8 and 9 to the partitions quite easy in the nominer-indicated in Fig; 5;

The next step is-to weld on the end pieces 13 and 14. Their lower edgesare welded to the outer bottomi pieces l and. the ends of the, partition 7. are welded? to E theml. U Thefinalstepisjtoweldfin the top; This is made-ups. of two portions: 12a and 12?). One offthese, i's weldedto the .upper edge of partition 7, to the-ends 1:3;and114, and'toLthe upper, edge of, front plate: 8. and; the; other is welded to the upperedgerofthe partition .7 to the endslg and'.14 ,,and to the upper edge of'rear. plate 9. p I Connections;- for admitting and taking away the, steamZare next to. be provided. This' is .doneby, cutting, holes into the appropriate; sheets: and. welding. in the connecting pieces... 15 is the connection forthe dry steam rpipe. This isa cast steellstructure and v-reldedimalongthe line l6, the plates of theheadel having been cutthrough along this line by means of an oxyacetylene torchor other meansior. thispurpose. Y

l7.- 1,7. are the two'. connections for the steam. pipes which arewelded, in along the lines 18%18, the platesoftheiheader having been cut. away. along these linesifor this purpose. v a V The cutting away: of the header plates along the-lines 16 .and18 maybe performed either before; the header is assembled; or afterwards, the preferred method beingthe latte I 1 In Fig. 1 is illustratedone pair-off tube endsfiwfi their enlarged heads 19.+19.,bearingiagainstcthe outer ends of apair Qfopen. ings :5 5. The bolt .QOhas its head in the space betweenlthe branches, of. the, T,.the shank .ofithebolt extending through the slot ,4' and the; nut at thelower end of the bolt bearing against the, ,yoke or. clamp 21.. This yokepresses upwardly as the nutis pulled up againsti the twowashers 22 22 andthus indirectly against the enlarged heads-19749. Thisisall in accordance .with .common practice and .isspoken o-f-in detail merely to bring out clearly;the factithat the new. header is adaptedto beused inexactly the-same way of making it without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. The process of making asteel-plate header comp-rising the steps of welding vertical transverse partitions to a. rectangular bottom; forming: a longitudinal? steeli-plate partition with a continuous vertical portion and smaller rectangular portions extending alternately in. opposite: directions fmm:thec lower-1 edge..=0f the first portion, the dimensions and conformation of these parts being such-thatthesecond-named partition may be set on the first named partitions with the top-edges of t-he latter abutting against the lateral edges otthe. oppositely extendingporibns ofQthe former welding saidl edges. to..- gether; weldin a: frontand. aback tothe bottom and to the outer edges of the first; named, partitions and. of. the oppositely extendingiportions; :welding atop to. the upper edges; of. the. front. and, back and. ofjtlie 1611.- gitudinal partitiong, and, welding. insteel platesto closethe.endsl.

2.. Therprocess according to:cl'aim, 1, the vertib alltransvers'e partitions being 4 given'tlie shape of, inverted,. Y,s,. and theibottom being made in I sections spacediapart tov form; slots, each slot. lying 'between'.thewbranches ofia. Y and being narrower.- than the. distance. be: tween thebranclies.

Trheprocess of -manufacturing, a structureiof; the clas s described, ,comprising ,-taking agenerally rectangular piece .ofI'sheet-metal, makingga,seriesofparallllspaced}outs,.fi'om one edgeinward, bending the resultingfl'aps alternately in opposite directions, .and'assem; hling, other, pieces. with the, first named; one to iform .twoolongitudinaliohambers ,on .oppo site sides.- of the, uncut; portion of? the; first 7 m5 namedspieceanda thirdl chamber; under: the theritwba v 4 The: process: according, to. claim. 3, co m-. prising the further. stepsof welding'vertical partitionsinto said thirdchambenc ividing ituinto. a; series of? spaces communicating alternatelyfwiththetwo. ,upper. chambers. V MALGOLMT HARD; 1

asathe-cast-ironheader which hasbeen stand: v

bemade in the. header; itself or inthe. manner 

